1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to forming elongated materials in a desired shape for shipping and/or storage, and more particularly, to an improved bundling method and apparatus. The present invention finds particular application in conjunction with the bundling of cylindrical or nearly cylindrical object (e.g., elongated ovalized objects or polygonal objects with greater than 4 sides), and it is described herein with particular reference to cylindrical objects. It is to be appreciated, however, that the present invention is also amenable to other applications.
2. Discussion of the Art
Bundling methods and apparatus have been used for many years to produce various bundled shapes from a plurality of elongated cylindrical or nearly cylindrical objects. The cylindrical objects are loaded onto a machine and bundled for shipping. Various shapes of bundles have been used and various numbers of cylindrical objects have been included in the bundles. However, prior art bundling methods and apparatus have been replete with problems.
One such prior art method involves dumping cylindrical objects onto loosened flexible straps or the like. The straps are then tightened to form a substantially round bundle. This method is problematic because the round bundles formed are not of a uniform dimensions which causes problems in the stacking and shipping of the bundles. Further, the bundles tend to loosen during shipping.
Another prior method involves counting and conveying cylindrical objects to an apparatus which then lifts each cylindrical object with a set of carrying arms. Each cylindrical object is then placed in a designated position to form a hexagonal bundle. This method reduces the problems associated with bundles of varying shapes and varying numbers of cylindrical objects. However, a substantial amount of time is required to form each bundle, and the mechanism is very complex.
Another prior art method involves dumping or rolling cylindrical objects into a pre-formed bottom portion of a hexagon or other polygon frame. Once the bottom half portion of the hexagon bundle is formed in the half-hexagonal frame, the remainder of the bundle is formed manually by placing the cylindrical objects one by one. This method reduces the overall amount of time required to form each bundle but a significant amount of time and manual labor is still required to form the top portion of each bundle. Furthermore, this operation can be dangerous to those involved in the manual bundle forming process.
Another prior art method involves lifting the cylindrical objects using electromagnets. The bundles are capable of being formed one layer at a time. Bundling in this manner decreases the amount of time required to form each bundle and ensures a uniformly shaped bundle and a uniform number of cylindrical objects in each bundle. Nonetheless, the time required to form each bundle is sub-optimal. Further, the cylindrical objects may only be made of ferrous materials. Thus, cylindrical objects made of non-ferrous materials (e.g., copper tubes) are not capable of being lifted by magnetic systems.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide an improved bundling method and apparatus that overcomes these problems and others, while providing more advantageous overall results.
In accordance with the present invention, an improved bundling method and apparatus is provided for minimizing the above mentioned and other disadvantages of the prior art. The improved method and apparatus are associated with receiving, forming, and holding a desired shape for the bundling of cylindrical objects of various materials through the use of a set of movable links.
The method and apparatus of the present invention use, in a preferred embodiment, a series of interconnected, predefined lengths of jointed members or links to complete the process of receiving, shaping, and holding a bundle of cylindrical objects in a polygon shaped cross-section such that banding can be applied to the bundle.
A main advantage of the present invention resides in the provision of a method and apparatus for bundling multiple elongated objects such as cylindrical objects using one or more sets of interconnected links that move between first and second operative positions. The first position is a loading position where the links are stretched out to receive the objects. The second position is a bundling position wherein the opposite ends of the set of interconnected links are moved adjacent to each other so that the objects shift into the desired polygonal shape, with the flat portions of the bundled objects lying respectively adjacent the links. Of course, the number of links is related to the number of flats on the resulting bundle, with the length of each flat roughly corresponding to the length of each link.
Another primary advantage of the present invention is the provision of an improved bundling method and apparatus that requires the minimum amount of repetitive motion to bundle a group of cylindrical objects.
A further advantage of the present invention is the provision of an improved bundling method and apparatus that increases the speed at which a bundle may be formed.
Another advantage of the present invention over the prior art is the provision of an improved bundling method and apparatus that may be used on ferrous and non-ferrous materials.
Still another advantage of the present invention is the provision of an improved bundling method and apparatus that builds bundles in a manner that is not laborious or dangerous.
Another advantage of the present invention is the provision of an improved bundling method and apparatus that may be used to create bundles of varying predetermined polygonal shapes when desired.
Still other features and benefits of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description.